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Upanishads : " The Cream of Vedas"
Vedanta ( Veda +anta i.e; the end of Vedas ) as the literal meaning connotes comprises the philosophical portion of Vedas, called the Upanishads.
Of about 280 Upanishads unearthed so far, 108 have been accepted as authorised texts , and out of them have been commented upon by great Acharyas lika Sri Sankaracharya , Sri Ramanjacharya, Sri Madhavacharya and thus are classified as major.

Discussion-3. Eternal wisdom is that Knowledge, "Knowing which every other knowledge becomes known" ...

Removing all the cotton, neither the cloth nor the pattern can remain.

In cotton it exists, out of cotton it has come and into cotton alone can it merge back.

Similarly the Pure Consciousness, the external Pure Wisdom is : ' That Knowledge,' - - " Knowing which every other knowledge becomes Known"; out of this 'Absolute Knowledge' has all the world of names and forms emerged out, and in it they exist and in it they merge back.

It is, in order to make us understand this 'Single Idea' in all its pregnant imports, that the "Mother Sruti" has started this section with ever so many mantra-s, each in different ways, e…

Discussion-1. "From the Supreme Reality explained in the previous mantram, was created the entire world, knowable and knowing objects " .....

Thus here, we have the enumeration explaining that the five elements, the ten senses, the 'Prana' and the 'mind' came out of "Brahmam."

It is a Sastrik declaration that the form --- quality of creation has camr out of seventeen tattva-s.

Also, it declares that the entire world of activity ( prana), of feelings (mind), of cognition ( sense-organs), and the outer world of the Five great Elements have all the same source in the Eternal Reality as explained in the previous mantram.

In case, the pure Existence viz. the Reality is removed from the created world, we shall find the observed world of p…

The Supreme is pure because it is but the illuminator of both purity and impurity.

The Sun neither gains the merits of an 'Yajanam' performed in its light nor does he gather to itself the sins of a murder committed in his rays!

The Sun is but the illuminator of both good and bad actions performed in the daylight.

Similarly, Pure Consciousness is eternal and pure, in the sense that the Supreme is "Greater than the Great" only to emphasise the all-pervasiveness of the Pure Consciousness which, in its turn, emphasisee Its Supreme, subtle nature.

In saying that the Consciousness pervades it, 'Sruti' means that even when the world of n…

This all-pervading Reality is described here as without 'Prana' and without 'mind,' just as a driver has no car or even a part of car in his physical anatomy, mental structure, intellectual apparatus or spiritual personality.

And yet, the car cannot and will not move without the driver.

Similarly, the Pure Consciousness, the Self, has neither the Mind nor Prana and yet, neither of them can function without the Pure and the Greater than the Great.

Mantram-1. { Birth of all beings from "Brahmam" like sparks from fire. }

Discussion-7. "an effect can only perish to become the cause" ........

It is a theory in philosophy, accepted in scientific observations also, that "an effect can only perish to become the cause;" the seed dies away to become the tree; water, when decomposed, becomes but hydrogen and oxygen, a physical structure made up of the five elements; all ornaments made of gold can change only to become a mass of gold.

Similarly, a spark of fire riding on a little matter, seems to have wandered away from the main fire-place and exists as such only during such time at it has not finished away with its eating up of the "matter."

It is only a conditional fire that comes out as a spark and the spark exists only so lon…

Mantram-1. { Birth of all beings from "Brahmam" like sparks from fire. }

Discussion-6. Recap to be continued ...

An incomparably beautiful and inimitably complete analogy is used here to explain this relationship.

The individual is nothing but the Supreme itself, inasmuch as, the individual has risen from it, exist in it, and merges back into it.

The example of a spark from a bid fire is made use of here.

The spark has risen from the fire-place, and it floats about and around the very same fire-place --- not very far away --- and when it has exhausted itself in eating up the material, the ash is thrown out, and the fire in the spark disappears; and since it cannot go anywhere else, it merges the very fire in the fire-place.

Next : Discussion-7. "an effect can only perish to become the cause" .....…

Mantram-1. { Birth of all beings from "Brahmam" like sparks from fire. }

Discussion-4. "Hear what Mother Sruti tells us ..... "

There is no contradiction at all here to those who know the technique of the 'Sruti.'

The Rishi-s of the Upanishad-s first insisted that ritualism alone is Supreme, in order to encourage a seeker to go through those initial techniques in self-perfection.

Having lived a few years in sincere ritualim the seeker develops his mental and intellectual integration and higher meditation.

If from the very outset, Sruti had declared that ritualism is a subsidiary activity, certainly no seeker would have gone through it, but would have straight away walked into the halls of meditation only to sit and sleep.

To avert this calamity, out of sheer kindness 'Mother Sruti' is thus …

Mantram-1. { Birth of all beings from "Brahmam" like sparks from fire. }

Discussion-2. "the Supreme" ...

The Supreme, being Infinite, will not, and cannot come within the expressiveness of language which is but an expression of the finite.

The Infinite cannot be expressed in terms of the finite and yet, no other scripture in the world, we can most assuredly say, has succeeded in pointing out to us the Infinite so successfully as the Upanishads have done.

Some wondrous expressions pointing to the Infinite and some perfect techniques of explanation are employed in this chapter.

In short, we may say that without this chapter "Mundakopanishad" could not have been considered as the scripture at all.

Mantram-13. ( Very Important for the present teachers, students, parents, and the society( Whole Nation ).

Discussion-2. "Mother Sruti says further ........"

And, when such a disciple approaches a "true guru," here the "Sruti" dictates that he should explain the "Truth," in all its purity to the student, and consistently encourage him to live that life and reach the goal.

A"true guru" has no right to deny instructing any disciple.

But, the disciple also must have the necessary qualifications, such as a complete self-control and a degree of mental tranquility.

To such a disciple, the 'guru' must explain, not merely the word-meaning of the scripture, but also the indicative meaning by which limited wor…

Mantram-12. { A seeker seeing meaninglessness of the worldly and heavenly pleasures advised to approach a teacher and seek "Supreme Knowledge." }

Mantram-12.

Discussion-10. Summation.....

Whatever it is, it only indicates that the disciples, in the olden times, sought a Master and reached his feet, not through appointments 'made by letters or telegrams or telephones-calls!'

Today, if we are doing so, we are thereby denying to ourselves the maximum benefit which we could otherwise gain out of these Masters by repeating the old practice and approaching them in that attitude of surrender and true seeking.

Mantram-12. { A seeker seeing meaninglessness of the worldly and heavenly pleasures advised to approach a teacher and seek "Supreme Knowledge." }

Mantram-12.

Discussion-9. "The term ' Samit-panih' in the fourth line of the mantram ...."

"Samit-panih" : Here is a bit of instruction to a perfect student on how he must approach the teacher.

In olden days, the practice was to carry a bundle of fire-wood ( samit ) ( i. e , fuel for cooking, ) or it may be Margo ( Nima ) -twigs ( used for brushing the teeth) as a symbol of the desciple's readiness to surrender totally to the Master and tune himself through continuous and tireless service.

Somewhere, we have seen another interpretation given to this significant sign.

Mantram-12. { A seeker seeing meaninglessness of the worldly and heavenly pleasures advised to approach a teacher and seek "Supreme Knowledge." }

Mantram-12.

Discussion-8. "If pandita-s cannot serve the world as teachers, then who........"

Thus, a teacher is he who has a 'thorough knowledge of the science of Religion' which is in the Upanishad-s and is one who is also rooted in his 'own subjective experience of that plane of Consciousness' which is indicated by the 'Sruti.'

Such a Master alone can convincingly propagate the 'Sruti' and Kindle enthusiasm of the youth to brave the difficulties and stand the challenges of life, till he slowly reaches the
"Eternal Goal of Life."

Next : Discussion-9. "The term ' Samit-panih' in the fourth line of the mantr…